Pocket tooth-brush



Jan. ze, 195g W. J. HERTER'V POCKET TOOTH-BRUSH Filed Jan. 23, 1957 United States Patent ffice 2,829,979 Patented Jan. 28, 1958 POCKET TOOTH-BRUSH William Jacques Herter, Paris, France Application January 23, 1957, Serial No. 635,678

3 Claims. (Cl. 15-135) This invention relates to pocket tooth-brushes.

One object of this invention consists in providing an improved tooth-brush adapted to be carried in the users pocket without any risk of deteriorating or soiling the bristles of the brush.

Itis another object of this invention to provide a toothbrush of which the bristles are soaked automatically with a fluid dentifrice or tooth-paste when the tooth-brush is used.

Moreover, this invention aims at providing a pocket tooth-brush having simple means whereby the dentifrice output may be adjusted at will during its use.

Finally, it is also within the scope of this invention to provide an improved pocket tooth-brush of which the dentifrice reserve may be easily replaced when exhausted.

The features and advantages of this invention will appear more completely and clearly from the following description given hereafter with reference to the attached drawing forming part of this specification. In the drawing: f

Figure 1 is a plan View of the tooth-brush ready to be put in the pocket. v

Figure 2 is a cross-section taken onv a larger scale along i the line II-II of Fig. l;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section taken on the same scale as Fig. l along the line III--III of Fig. 2; and

VFigure 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing one of the component elements of the improved pocket toothbrush according to this invention.

The improved pocket tooth-brush according to my invention comprises a head 1 carrying bristles 2 and having formed therein a longitudinal passage communicating with transverse orices opening in the intervals between the bristles. A body 3 has its front portion shaped in view of detachably tting thereon the rear end of the head 1 and its rear portion is provided with screw-threads engageable by corresponding internal threads formed on a cylindrical, handle-forming member 4. In front of its screw-threaded portion the body 3 comprises a shouldered portion adapted to receive the rear end of a detachable cap 5 having substantially the same diameter as the rear, handle-forming member 4 so as to enclose the body 3 and head 1 and consequently protect the bristles 2. The body 3 is formed with a substantially axial inner channel leading into the axial passage of the head. This channel has fitted therein a tube 6 of metal or other suitable material which projects somewhat from the ront end of the body and engages the rear end of the head passage, to contribute in securing the head on the body, the rear end of the tube 6 projecting from the corresponding end of the body 3 and being bevelled, as shown.

In the cylindrical wall of the hollow, handle-forming member 4 having a conical and rounded rear end, a pair of longitudinal slots 12 disposed on two diametrically opposite generatrices are cut or formed together with a plurality of transverse notches disposed at spaced intervals along two opposite generatrices. A follower slidably mounted on the cylindrical portion of the hollow member 4 consists, as shown in Fig. 2, of five component elements 7, 8, 8, 9, 9. The element 7 is a simple ferrule or annulus having cylindrical outer and inner surfaces. The two elements, 8, 8 are identical and each of them consists of a half-ring bound by two coaxial cylindrical surfaces and two radial faces substantially diametrically opposite. The external cylindrical surface has a diameter substantially equal tothe inner cylindrical surface of the ferrule 7 and in addition it has formed along one of its radial faces a cavity of predetermined depth which terminates with a shoulder parallel to this face. The inner cylindrical surface has a diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the hollow member 4 and comprises two inner ribs 11 adapted to engage two corresponding transverse notches 10 of the hollow member 4. The'two elements 9, 9 are identical and each consists of a resilient arm cut and stamped, as shown in Fig. 4, from sheet metal stock. This resilient arm 9 comprises a substantially at end lip 14 followed by another at portion 15 bent substantially at right angles to the lip 14, another substantially hat portion 16 also bent substantially at right angles to the at portion 1S but opposite to the ilat lip 14, and an extension 17 of progressively increasing width in the direction away from the portion 16, this extension 17 being inclined to the flat portion 16, as shown, and formed with a trough-shaped curved end 1S also of progressively increasing width so as to form a partcylindrical surface having its generatrices substantially at right angles to the width of the opposite lip 14, the convex face of this end portion 13 being opposite to the aforesaid at lip 14, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The component elements of the follower are mounted while mounting the latter on the handle-forming tubular member 4. For this purpose, the pair of resilient arms 9 are inserted in the tubular member 4 with the flat lips and first at portions 1S thereof projecting from this member 4 through the aforesaid pair of longitudinal slots 12. Then the two half-rings S are placed around the outer surface of the member 4, the lirst at portion 1S of each arm 9 being clamped between two adjacent radial faces of the half-rings 3, the at lip of the same arm 9 fitting in the recess formed in the outer cylindrical surface of one of these half-rings along one of these two radial faces. By force-fitting the ferrule 7 over the thus disposed assembly the latter will form a rigid integral unit comprising the component elements 7, S, 8, 9, 9 constituting the follower proper, and the latter will thus be able to slide along the handle-forming member 4 between two end positions in which the other at portions 16 of the arms 9 engage the ends of the longitudinal slots 12 of member 4.

The tooth-brush according to this invention comprises in addition a consumable element consisting of a charge 13 of fluid dentifrice contained in a sealed deformable or yielding case of such dimensions and shape that it may lit in the hollow handle-forming tubular member 4.

The use of this tooth-brush adapted to be carried in the users pocket in the condition illustrated in Fig. l is extremely simple.

By nnscrewing the assembly comprising the head 1, body 3 and cap 5 it is possible to separate the assembly comprising the hollow member 4 and follower 7, 3, 8, 9, 9, thereby freeing the front aperture of the hollow handle-forming member 4. Then, the follower is placed in its rearmost position as shown in the drawing, wherein it is maintained by the engagement of the inner ribs 11 formed on the inner cylindrical surface of the half-rings 8, 3 in the last pair of transverse notches 10 formed in the outer surface of the member 4. Then a charge 13 of fluid dentifrice is introduced through the front aperture of the hollow member 4. By re-iitting the head, body and cap, the rear projecting end of the metal tube 6 perforates the front face of the dentifrice envelope 13, thereby enabling the charge to communicate with the facerof head 1 which carries the bristles 2. Under these conditionsA thetooth-brush may be, put in they users pocket andis ready for use at any time.

' When the user wishes to use the tooth-bruslnfhe removes the detachable cap 5. If the bristles 2 are not suicientlyloaded Withdentifrice or toothpaste the sliding thehead 1. When, as a consequence of repeated uses,l the charge is exhaustetL, the casing 13 is removed by' unscrewing the head l and body 3, and a fresh casing 13 substituted therefor by repeating Vthe simple operative steps set forthrhereinabove.

What I claim is:

l.V A pocket tooth-brush comprising a head, a longitudinal passage formed in said head and leading to the outside through feed orilices, bristles carried by said head. around said orices, a body comprising a front end mounted on said head having anexternally screw-threaded reary end, a tube mounted in and `communicating with said passage said tube extending through said bodyand projectingV from the said screw-threaded rear end, a tubularV` member formed with internal screw-threads adapted to engage saidscrew-threaded rear end of said body, a pair of longitudinal, diametrically opposite slots formed along said tubular membena ring slidably mounted on said tubular member, theinner surface of said ring carryingy two projecting ribs adapted to co-act with two corresponding series of transverse notches spaced along lsaid slots and two resilient sheet-metal arms having widened ends, said armsbeing mounted radially in the inner surface of the tubular member and extending through said longitudinal slots, respectively, and a sealed yielding envelope filled with dentifrice and' located' with'in'saidtubular member, the front face of said envelope contacting the rear tube portion projecting from said head, said envelope being adapted to be compressed by and between said sheet-metal arms along the path of said slidable ring.

2. A pocket tooth-brush as set -forth in claim l, where in the inner surface of the ring comprises two ribs coacting with twov series of notches disposed at spaced intervals along saidslots in the tubular member.

3. A pocket toothebrush as set 'forth in claim 2, where-V y in the rigid annular ring assembly comprises La ferrule having a cylindrical innerv surface, va pair `of identical halfrings each bound by the inner surface of said ferrule Vand by two radial faces, theouter cylindrical surface of each half-ring being hollowed out along one of said pair of radial faces upto a shoulder parallel` tosaid radial faceV soas toform a recess against the; inner c`:ylind ri calL surface of said ferrule, the two registering? radial faces of said ferrule leaving a certain` gap therebetween which forms a radial outlet passage of onerof saidy recesses whereby said one l recess communicates withthe inner cylindrical'space of said half1fings,and Wherein,=in addition, eachresilient sheet-metal arm comprises a substantially at end lip engaged in one of said recesses against the, inner; wall of said ferrule, a flatportion bent 4atright angleslto said ilat lip and extending through said radial outlet passage ofsaid recess and one ofsaid longitudinal slots in rsaid lhollowl tubular member, anOhCi Substantially atportion bent at right anglesto :said at portion against the inner Wall of saidA hollowtubular member, and a Widenedfend forming., ai longitudinal extension of said other, `substantially -flat portion,4 said`- widened portion being curved to constitutea substantially cylindrical surface having A itsv convexV side closelyy spaced from; the

convex side of the relevant substantially cylindrical surfaceofI the other-resilient sheet-metal arm udisposed symmetrically to the first arm.

No references cited. 

